Terry Crews -- Vernon Davis Is No Joke ... Acting Chops Are Legit

"Brooklyn Nine-Nine" star Terry Crews knows what it takes to make the jump from the NFL to Hollywood ... and he STRONGLY believes 49ers tight end Vernon Davis is primed to follow in his famous footsteps.

For the record, Davis has been making a serious push into acting -- recently starring as "Captain Torpedo" in a short film that made it to the final 10 in HBO's "Project Greenlight" competition.

Well, clearly Crews was impressed ... telling TMZ Sports he doesn't only think the guy has serious "flavor" on screen -- but he's spoken with Davis and gave the guy some real advice about making the Hollywood transition.

So ... buddy comedy in the future?!?!?